A Prior engagement

摘要

Graeme Ewens takes a trip down the Thames on J. J. Prior's coaster Brenda Prior, one of the last vessels still making regular commercial voyages through the heart of the city of London. Whether you call them small coasters or motor barges, J. J. Prior's cargo vessels are among the few working vessels which still regularly ply the length of the Thames from the mouth of the estuary through the heart of London. Although lacking the glamour or romance which accompanied the Port of London's grander forebears, the prosaic little Prior ships maintain a maritime tradition and should be valued for upholding the river's commercial identity.